Environment, Society, and the Economy (ESE)

Environment, Society and the Economy: Integrated Research Linking the Geosciences with the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences

The Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) and the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) seek to encourage productive interdisciplinary collaborations between the geosciences and the social, behavioral, and economic sciences by augmenting funding for interdisciplinary research related to Environment, Society, and the Economy within existing NSF programs.  For more information, see the "Dear Colleague Letter" under "Related URLs" below.

The augmented funding from ESE will enable regular GEO and SBE programs to jointly make awards for integrated research linking the geosciences with the social, behavioral and economic sciences.  Interdisciplinary research teams must include researchers from both the geosciences and the social, behavioral, and economic sciences who are collaborating in ways that advance theoretical understandings and/or methods in both the GEO and SBE communities.  While projects must involve researchers in the geosciences and social and behavioral sciences, they may also include researchers from other disciplines and be jointly reviewed by programs in other directorates.

This is neither a special competition nor a new program.  Relevant proposals must be submitted for joint review to at least one existing GEO program and one existing SBE program.  The submission of proposals should be in accordance with those programs' regular target or deadline dates.  If the due dates for programs differ considerably, submit on or before the earlier due date or make alternate arrangements with the program officers for those programs.

The GEO and SBE programs to which the proposal is directed should be listed on the proposal cover sheet.  If investigators believe that the proposed work will make the most significant contributions to basic knowledge for the community served by one of those programs, it should be listed first.

Investigators are encouraged to indicate that their proposal was submitted in response to this Dear Colleague Letter by including "ESE:" as a prefix to the title of the proposal.